


The Stars are Real

by VaraMoss



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Lesbian Character, Lesbians in Space, Original Character(s), POV Lesbian Character, Star Wars - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27567670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VaraMoss/pseuds/VaraMoss
Summary: I worked very hard on this so I hope everyone likes ><
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I worked very hard on this so I hope everyone likes ><

Yaris stared at the small box in front of her. How long had she been sitting there? It was darker outside than she remembered, and she was suddenly aware that her legs had fallen asleep, so she re-positioned and stretched her hands toward the vessel. Her fingers rested on the lid and traced the ornate carvings on its surface. Inside was whatever was left of her mother. She’d meant to open it hours ago, but she couldn’t find it in herself to do it. After she saw what was inside that would be that. Her mother would truly be gone. She took some deep breaths and finally broke her trance. Yaris flipped the lid to reveal the contents. Inside was a leather pouch that held various types of money, and a necklace. Underneath these was a small piece of paper. She pulled the necklace out and held it in front of her. It was adorned with a strange pendant. The light of a lamp outside shone through the window and revealed the translucence of the pendant. It was cloudy, but she could see a twinkling from within. She laid it down beside the box and pulled out the paper. There was a short passage in her mothers handwriting. 

‘Keep this safe. Someone will need it one day. I love you.’ 

As soon as she finished reading, her room was illuminated in an eerie orange light. She stood up, pulled the curtain on her window aside, and cautiously peered outside. Something was falling from the sky, and it was on fire. Several people had stepped out of their houses and were pointing worriedly to the sky. Then, an immense sound shook the walls of her house and threw dust from the road outside into her room. She held her arms around her face in defense, and when her eyes opened, she could barely hear anything. Yaris dropped to her knees, stashed the pouch and letter into her backpack, and hung the necklace around her neck. She ran to the door and slipped into her boots. Her eyes closed again as she concentrated on her breathing. 

“Why am I doing this? I have so much work to do tomorrow,” she pushed the door open and sighed.

Her neighbors were clutching their ears and helping each other stand. She slipped between her house and her neighbors’ and found a familiar foothold in the wall. She climbed up the drainage pipe and pulled herself to the roof. Yaris was fairly certain her neighbor knew about the night time visits to his roof, but he didn’t seem to mind. She grabbed some binoculars that she’d stashed there and peered through the view-finder. Far in the distance she could see a plume of smoke with a flickering orange light at its base. It looked to be about one mile into the forest.

She lowered the binoculars and looked down at the street below. More people were filing out of their houses with worried looks on their faces, and parents shooed their children back inside, standing pensively on their door steps. She thought for a moment, then tossed the binoculars into her backpack and slid down the drain. Her boots hit the dirt below with a thud, and she moved around the back side of the house. As she moved from house to house, she could see a group of people forming a party to investigate the source of the noise. She waited to see which direction they’d chosen, then set off into the forest herself at a safe distance. 

Yaris was a well respected citizen of her village, so she was a bit surprised at her own reluctance to be spotted as she followed the group. She couldn’t quite quantify why, but she felt a great anxiety about the future. As the villagers and their hidden onlooker neared the site, she found a vantage point behind a tree and leaned against its soft mossy bark. She pulled the binoculars from her pack and focused the viewfinder in on the burning rubble. The source of the fire was a smoldering, damaged ship. It was bigger than her house, but that wasn’t saying much, and there seemed to be people inside. It was just like from the stories her mother told her as a child. She’d never seen one this close before, but that’s what it had to be. The villagers cautiously approached the craft as the side was kicked open and two of its occupants tumbled out onto the forest floor. It was only then that she noticed a third person laying in a charred and bloody pile. She gasped and held her nose as the smell of burning flesh wafted into her nostrils. 

The strangers looked to the burnt remains of their friend and stepped forward to the villagers. The first was taller than any man she’d ever seen. He had greasy dark hair, and the lower half of his face was obscured by a metal mask. The second was a woman with red hair, and half of her head was scarred and hairless. They barked something at the villagers, who didn’t seem to take it very well. She briefly considered creeping forward to hear better, but she was stopped in her tracks as the strangers pointed blasters at the villagers. A noise of wailing made her flinch as bolts of red light shot through the bodies of two of the men from her village. They hit the ground lifeless, the holes in their torsos smoking. Yaris held her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound of her quickened breaths and whimpers, regardless of if the strangers could actually hear her. The remaining two villagers stood stunned and were visibly shaking. The woman screamed, and the man fell to his knees. 

The woman motioned to the man with her free hand. The man nodded and walked to the back of the wreckage. The red haired stranger casually strolled up to the remaining two of the search party. She stood for a few moments, taking them in, then unceremoniously shot the man through his temple. His body hit the ground to join the ever growing number of corpses on the forest floor. The tall man appeared again, and he’d brought something with him. Two identical speeder bikes floated behind him. He straddled one of the machines and sat on the saddle, resting his feet on the stirrups that hung below. The last woman standing screamed and tried to run away before the woman shot through one of her legs and she fell to the ground with a yelp. The red haired woman gripped the other’s hair and pulled her to her feet. She struggled for the first few steps, which resulted in a swift strike to the head. The woman left standing draped the unconscious body on the bike behind her. 

Their mounts roared to life and howled into the distance back towards her village. Yaris broke through her fear and ran out of her cover to kneel over the bodies. None of them were alive. Her head whipped around to the direction of her village and her heart sank. She stood up and turned to run after the strangers. Yaris only made it about ten feet before a new sound pierced the air behind her. She flinched and turned around to see another ship in much better shape hovering above the trees. The side opened and a figure appeared illuminated by the light of the inside. They jumped from the craft and landed gracefully to the ground, cloak billowing in the wind. The figure’s hands rose to their face and pulled back the hood that obscured their face. A woman looked into Yaris’ face with piercing dark eyes. Her blond hair fell a little below her shoulders and it was then that Yaris realized that she knew her. She’d been a classmate in their village’s primary school; Ry’sana. The woman eyed her with a curious expression. Yaris blushed and looked away, embarrassed by the eye contact. This seemed to amuse Ry’sana, but her face turned serious again and she bolted off after the assailants and towards the village. Yaris was stunned as she watched Ry’sana pass through the trees, slowly fading into the darkness of the night.

“Wait!” Yaris took off after her and struggled to keep up. Ry’sana didn’t seem to hear her, but she called out again anyways. She finally gave up and resigned to running after her, weaving in and out of trees as she went. Luckily Yaris knew these woods like the back of her hand, so she didn’t slam into any tree trunks in the dark, but she wasn’t sure what her old classmate’s excuse was. Finally the warm glow of her village illuminated the remaining amount of forest in front of her. Ry’sana had stopped running to take cover behind the wall of one of the many clay houses that lined the street. Yaris hurried to join her, and the woman held her finger to her mouth and shushed her. Her look of annoyance was unavoidable, but she did as she was told.

“Where is Dara Van?” the red haired woman bellowed at the crowd of terrified villagers, her gun held to her hostage’s head.

The woman at gunpoint let out a feeble reply, “She’s dead...it’s just her daughter now...Yaris.”

The red haired woman grew increasingly annoyed, “Well...then tell me where the hell Yaris is, or this bitch gets it!” she barked again to the crowd.

Ry’sana thought for a second then turned to Yaris, “You are Yaris…” it wasn’t a question. Yaris’ face grew pale and she slowly nodded, “Hmm,” she stood up and began to walk forward to the strangers.

“What are you doing?!” Yaris hissed. She was afraid, but she stood up anyway and followed timidly behind her.

“I’m not sure if I made this clear or not when I shot you down, but you aren’t welcome here and Yaris is with me.”

The woman laughed, “And what are you gonna do about it now? You don’t have your ship to shoot me in the back.”

“I’m not going to ask again.”

The red haired woman developed a rabid smile and shoved the injured woman to her partner. She pulled her gun from its holster and fired two shots at the blonde. She nimbly moved to the side of each shot. The woman growled, threw the gun to the ground, and produced a blade from behind her back. Ry’sana readied her stance and waited. The redhead ran forward and thrust her blade towards the chest of her enemy. Ry’sana meant to catch her wrist with her left hand, but wasn’t quick enough and the blade pierced right through her palm. She screamed but didn’t let it stop her from stepping behind the woman’s leg and shoving her hard. She fell backwards on her ass with a thud. As she fell, Ry’sana wrenched the knife from her hand and pounced on the scarred woman. She attempted to stab her in the throat, but the woman wasn’t going to die that easily. Her hands gripped Ry’sana’s wrist and used every muscle in her arms to hold the knife at bay. They struggled like this for a few painstaking moments, but then Ry’sana pulled the knife from her attacker’s grip and swung it again. This time she wasn’t stopped, and the blade sunk into the throat of the redhead. Her eyes widened as blood spurted from the wound. Ry’sana held the knife in its place and watched as the life faded from eyes of her victim. A hush fell over the crowd. Yaris stood there, stunned.

Ry’sana rolled over and lay beside her defeated victim, panting and clutching her wounded hand. She shot the partner a look of warning, and the man pushed the injured woman forward. He nodded to Ry’sana and hopped back onto the bike and sped off, leaving a dust trail behind him. Yaris ran to her side pulling off the tunic that covered her halter top. She wrapped it around Ry’sana’s hand and applied pressure, “You’re amazing...I mean...” she stumbled over her words but was rescued by the injured woman.

“Thank you...thank you,” she began to weep. A few people broke the silence of the crowd and rushed to tend to her wound.

Yaris helped Ry’sana to her feet, “Follow me, I have something to help you at my house.”

Ry’sana watched Yaris’ as she walked towards her home, determined. She looked around at the people gawking at her and followed.

“Here,” Yaris pulled a stool out from her table and motioned for Ry’sana to sit. She dug through a box of junk, metal clanking around inside. Finally she’d found what she was looking for and pulled out a strange device, “I...I kind of stole a blaster from someone who was passing through the village. I disassembled it to make a sort of blowtorch that I use to work on tools. Ah, right, I’m a blacksmith,” she looked at Ry’sana’s bloody hand. Ry’sana hesitated for a moment, then held out her hand for Yaris. She unwrapped her hand and pulled a tube of something out of the box. She gently applied it to the wound, “This is to clean it so that it doesn’t get infected,” Ry’sana quietly watched her. Yaris put the tube back and turned on the torch, “Um, this is going to hurt, but only for a moment,” Ry’sana began to tremble and looked away.

“Do it.”

Yaris pressed the flame to her old classmate’s hand and seared the hole shut. Ry’sana let out a stifled yelp and squoze her eyes shut, “There,” Yaris pulled a roll of gauze from the box and wrapped the hand tightly. She held Ry’sana’s hand a bit longer than she’d meant to, then pulled her hand away embarrassed, breaking Ry’sana’s gaze. Ry’sana placed a finger on Yaris’ face and turned it to face her, “Thank you, Yaris.”

Yaris blushed, “N...no problem.”


	2. Chapter 2

The adrenaline that surged through Yaris' veins was beginning to fizzle out. Fear started to creep its way into the pit of her stomach, as well as the shock of her mother's death. It was starting to feel real. She felt that her mom could walk in any second like normal, but of course she wouldn’t. What would've happened if she was still alive and those bounty hunters took her? What would've happened if Ry’sana hadn’t stopped them from taking herself as tribute? Yaris drifted off into her own mind and hadn't realized it, but Ry'sana pulled her back.

"Yaris? You there? I lost you for a second."

Yaris jumped slightly when she spoke, "Oh, s-sorry."

Ry'sana studied her for a moment, "Do you know who those bounty hunters were? Why were they after your mom?"

Yaris didn't have an answer to that. She'd been in a state of constant confusion since she'd learned of her mother's death the day before, "I-I'm not sure. I've never seen them before. My mother didn't have any enemies, she just picked mushrooms in the forest all day. I don't understand," she began to tear up.

Ry'sana looked at her with caring eyes, "When did she die?"

Yaris' lips trembled for a moment, "Yesterday," she was full-on crying at this point.

Ry'sana placed her hand on Yaris' knee, "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Yaris wiped the tears from her face and nose, "No, it's okay," she partially covered her face with her hands, "I'm so embarrassed. I've only just met you and I'm already crying."

Ry'sana smiled, "It's a better impression than I made. You knew me for all of ten minutes before I killed someone in front of you."

"It was a pretty good impression to me," Yaris' voice wavered.

Ry'sana grinned slightly before continuing, "Yaris, did your mother say anything to you yesterday that gave you any idea that she was in trouble?"

"Well, not exactly. But she gave me this strange box and told me not to open it until today."

"What kind of box," Ry'sana sat forward in her chair.

Yaris retrieved the box from her room and laid it on the table beside them. Ry'sana eyed the engraving on the lid, "I've never seen this symbol before, but it almost feels familiar," she opened the box revealing the pouch and note. She took the pouch into her hand and peered inside. She gasped, “Yaris...this is a lot of money.”

Yaris looked surprised, “That can’t be right, we aren’t wealthy, I’m just a blacksmith and she only sells foraged food in the market. I’ve never seen money like that.”

"They are New Republic credits. You could buy a small ship with this. It seems there are things you didn’t know about her,” Ry’sana meant to say that in a gentle tone, but she couldn’t tell if she had succeeded as gentleness wasn’t her strong-suit.

Yaris looked slightly offended, but she knew Ry’sana was telling the truth. She ran her fingers through her hair as she calmed herself down, “I think...maybe you’re right,” it hurt for her to admit. She’d thought the relationship she had with her mother was very close, but maybe she was wrong.

Ry’sana pulled the note from the bottom of the box and read it carefully, “What is she talking about here?” she pointed to the text.

“Oh, right,” Yaris pulled the necklace from inside her top and held it out to Ry’sana.

The necklace began to float out of Yaris' hand and slowly rotate in front of Ry'sana's face. Her eyes widened at the mesmerizing inner sparkling of the pendant. As it turned, it floated down into Ry’sana’s hands. As soon as it touched her skin, she gasped and fell back out of her chair.

“Ry’sana! Are you okay?” Yaris got up and knelt beside her, “What just happened...how did you do that?”

Ry’sana steadied against the wall behind them, “I felt something as I neared this planet. I’ve felt it in my dreams. It was muffled and faint...until now,” she gazed into the depths of the object, “I’m sorry if I alarmed you, sometimes the force creates intense emotional connections.”

“The force…,” Yaris began to understand, “You’re a Jedi? I thought that was just a story my mom told me as a child,” it felt surreal to think that something that was part of her childhood was real and alive.

Ry’sana looked solemn, “I was, but I think I'm beginning to be something else. That’s why I’m here. Searching for...something. Answers I guess,” she turned her head to Yaris, “I think your mother has something to do with the calling I’ve felt.”

Yaris met her gaze. She didn’t know what any of this meant. The qualities and composition of various stones and metals she knew a lot about, but the force and the Jedi were foreign to her. Aside from the bedtime stories her mother told her, the Jedi were only stories. Remembering them gave her a bittersweet nostalgia. But this moment felt more real than the stories ever had, “I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about this. I don’t know where my mom could’ve gotten that or what any of this means,” Yaris’ gaze fell to her hands that rested on her lap. She hated feeling useless and wished she could help more. 

“It’s OK Yaris, I don’t know much more than you do; just a feeling,” she smiled, “I think I should probably stay here tonight,” she looked around more closely at Yaris house, “More bounty hunters being on their way is a very likely scenario. My pilot Eve will be OK on her own, and she can come to the rescue should we need it,” Ry’sana stood up and unclasped her cloak, hanging it on a peg by the door. She began to look around Yaris’ house, checking windows and any other possible entrances.

Yaris stood up, “Do you really think there could be more?” the fear she felt before began to well up inside her again. Then the rest of what Ry’sana said registered in her mind, and she realized that her house was a mess. She began to frantically pick up the various piles of mechanical junk that littered every surface, “I’m sorry my place is such a wreck, I really wasn’t expecting anyone…”

Ry’sana shook her head, “It’s not a problem, I find the natural state of someone’s home to be more interesting,” she seemed to be satisfied with her assessment of the house and was now standing back in front of Yaris.

Without her cloak, Yaris was able to see more clearly what Ry’sana was wearing. Every article of clothing was dark in color. She had a tunic that reached to her knees, and a leather belt underneath with a blade attached. Her forearms were wrapped in a strong fabric for protection from bounty hunters she guessed, “Um, I only have this bed, you can sleep there and I can sleep on the floor. I end up doing that most of the time anyways from staying up late tinkering,” she laughed nervously. She’d never actually had someone stay over before.

“That won’t be necessary. I will sit in a meditative state near your bed so I can be ready just in case. You will be safe, don’t worry,” she seemed very sure of herself.

“OK,” she fidgeted nervously, “If you’re sure.”

***  
Yaris stared at the wall her bed was against. She’d gotten maybe half an hour of sleep, but her nerves kept waking her. So much had happened. Finding out her mother was dead was shocking enough, she didn’t need murderous bounty hunters after her as well. She rubbed her eyes and sighed, turning over from her right to left side. A beam of moonlight pierced the darkness of her room, and Ry’sana sat cross legged on the floor. She wondered if she could hear the things around her, or if her mind were elsewhere. She knew nothing about the force, so meditating was just as foreign to her as moving a necklace with the mind. Ry’sana looked calm as her nostrils flared slightly every few seconds as she inhaled.

“Can’t sleep?” Ry’sana turned her face towards the bed, eyes still closed.

Yaris had been careful to not wake her, but apparently not careful enough, “I’m sorry, did I...make too much noise?”

“No. But I felt the anxiety and sadness in you. When I meditate the galaxy speaks to me in a much clearer way. It helps to guide and center myself.”

Yaris looked into her eyes, then broke her gaze, “I just feel overwhelmed… So much has happened so quickly,” she thought for a moment, “But you’re so calm. Someone tried to shoot and stab you to death…”

Ry’sana smiled, “I have learned to be calm in the face of my fear. I acknowledge it but I don’t let it control me. It’s easier said than done, and takes time to master. I haven’t yet.”

Yaris pondered her words and they were both silent for a while. Then Yaris spoke, “You’re Ry’sana from school, aren’t you? You were in my class.”

Ry’sana faced her fully, “I felt that I recognized you when I arrived here on Borann, but I thought it was maybe...something else.”

“Something else?” Yaris propped herself up.

Ry’sana shook her head, “It’s nothing,” she changed the subject, “Did you hear about the last day I was in school?”

“I only heard rumors, I’m sure most of it wasn’t true. You seemed like a nice girl, albeit a bit sad, “I’m sorry, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“Don’t worry. It was a long time ago,” she studied Yaris’ face, “Do you want to know what happened? You may think of me differently.”

“I…,” she felt a bit ashamed but she really did want to know, “I would like to hear it yes. As long as it doesn’t hurt you too much.”

Ry’sana got up and sat on the edge of Yaris’ bed, “I don’t know if you remember Lorii, but she was my best friend,” There was a look of old pain in her eyes, “At that time I was a very confused and lonely girl, and I didn’t understand or even know of the force. And I scared her. After that she avoided me and started hanging out with a less weird more popular crowd. They took any chance they could to shame me, and one day I couldn’t take it anymore and…,” she hesitated but continued, “One of the girls...I broke her arm.”

“I was kicked out of school, and my parents became increasingly frustrated with me. Until one day, a stranger came to our village and took an interest in me. He said he could help me control myself, but I had to go with him and be his apprentice. My parents didn’t need much convincing.”

Yaris’ face grew sad, “I’m so sorry. How could you parents do that?”

“I don’t know,” Ry’sana tried at a grin, “I’ll let you know when I find out,” she studied Yaris’ face once more, “Do you want me to help you fall asleep?”

Yaris’ face grew red, “H-help me sleep? What do you mean…?”

“Here, I’ll show you,” she moved closer to Yaris, “Lay down.”

Still flustered, Yaris did as she asked and rested her head on her pillow. Ry’sana’s hand extended and touched Yaris’ cheek and she instantly fell asleep.


End file.
